The Archdiocese of Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo () is a
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in
Basilicata
Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...
, southern
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, created in 1986. In that year the Diocese of Muro Lucano was united into the Archdiocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo, which had been elevated to an
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...
in 1973, and made a
metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical)
* Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop
** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"
* Metropolitan ...
Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016 "Metropolitan Archdiocese of Potenza–Muro Lucano–Marsico Nuovo" ''GCatholic.org.'' Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 .
The Ecclesiastical Province of Potenza (Basilicata) is composed of Potenza and five suffragan dioceses: the
Archdiocese of Acerenza
The Archdiocese of Acerenza () is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, included in the provinces of Lecce and Potenza. It has existed as a diocese since the fourth or fifth centuries. In the 11th century it was elevated ...
Potenza
Potenza (, ; ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania).
Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one of ...
was destroyed by order of the
Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...
, and was rebuilt by Bishop Oberto, beginning in 1250, to be destroyed again under
Charles of Anjou
Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...
.
The town claims that it was evangelized by
Saint Peter
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
;
Saint Aruntius
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
and his companions are said to have suffered martyrdom there under the Emperor
Maximian
Maximian (; ), nicknamed Herculius, was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar (title), Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocleti ...
. The legend has been destructively criticized by Francesco Lanzoni (1927).
The date of the establishment of the Diocese of Potenza (''Potentinus'') is not known. The earliest known bishop is Herculentius, who corresponded with
Pope Gelasius I
Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 21 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.The title of his biography by Walter Ullma ...
between 494 and 496.
An outstanding bishop was
Gerardo della Porta
Gerardo may refer to:
People Given name
Gerardo is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the male given name Gerard.
* Gerardo Amarilla (born 1969), Uruguayan politician
* Gerardo Bonilla (born 1975), Puerto Rican-born professional race c ...
(1099–1119), who was recognized as a saint, and to whom the cathedral is dedicated, along with the universal dedication to the Assumption throughout the kingdom of Naples. In 1221, Bishop Garsias limited the number of canons in the cathedral Chapter to twelve. In 1721, the Chapter was headed by three dignities (the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, and the Cantor) and nine canons.
The town of Potenza was destroyed by the earthquake of 1273 (or 1278).
The Cathedral, built by Bishop Oberto (attested 1250–1256), was restored by
Giovanni Andrea Serra
Giovanni Andrea Serrao (4 February 1731 – 24 February 1799) was an Italian intellectual and churchman of the Kingdom of Naples who supported the Parthenopaean Republic of 1799.
Biography Early life and ordination
Giovanni Andrea Serrao wa ...
(1783–99), and Achille Caracciolo (1616). Bishop Achille Caracciolo was also responsible for laying the cornerstone of a new seminary.
In 1694, Potenza was involved in the earthquake of 8 September, which affected nearly the entire kingdom of Naples. Three hundred houses were completely destroyed, the rest suffered damage. The church of Santissima Trinità and the castello were heavily damaged. Four or five people were reported dead. The seminary building also suffered severe damage. Bishop Agnello Rossi (1695–1707) began the reconstruction.
Bishop Giovanni Andrea Serrao (1783–1799) of Potenza was assassinated on 24 February 1799. He had been the Jansenist leader in southern Italy, and was an Erastian in church politics. He supported the French inspired
Parthenopean Republic
The Parthenopean Republic (, ) or Neapolitan Republic () was a short-lived, semi-autonomous republic located within the Kingdom of Naples and supported by the French First Republic. The republic emerged during the French Revolutionary Wars after ...
, and was a target of Cardinal
Fabrizio Ruffo
Fabrizio Dionigi Ruffo (16 September 1744 – 13 December 1827) was an Italian cardinal and politician, who led the popular anti-Jacobin '' Sanfedismo'' movement (whose members were known as the ''Sanfedisti'').
Biography
Ruffo was born at San ...
's '' sanfedist'' army.
On 27 June 1818, the diocese of Potenza was united with Diocese of Marsico Nuovo to form Diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo. Potenza was made a suffragan of the archdiocese of Acerenza, along with Anglona e Tursi, Tricarico, and Venosa. The diocese of Matera was suppressed and united with the archdiocese of Acerenza.
In the earthquake of 1 February 1826, all of the public and private buildings were seriously damaged. Two or three old buildings collapsed completely. The palace of the royal Intendant, the episcopal palace, the monastery of the Riformati, and the civic hospital were reduced to a bad condition. The campanile of the cathedral lost its lead roof. In the earthquake of 16 December 1857, in Basilicata there were 9591 deaths, with 1411 reported wounded. In the city of Potenza alone, 22 died and 11 were injured. Aftershocks continued into the next year. According to Cappelletti, the city of Potenza was practically annihilated.
A diocesan synod was held in Potenza by Bishop Gaspare Cardoso, O.S.B. (1606 – 1615) on 2 April 1606. Bishop Pietro Ignazio Marolda held a diocesan synod in Potenza in 1834.
Post-Vatican II changes
On 11 February 1973,
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
promoted the diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo to the status of an archdiocese, and made it immediately subject to the papacy, rather than to some other archdiocese in the regions of Basilicata or Lucania. It had been suffragan to the archdiocese of Acerenza. The bishop was given the rank of archbishop, and granted the right to use the processional cross and the ''
pallium
The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
''. The College of Canons of the cathedral, as well, were given archdiocesan dignity and privileges.
On 31 May 1973, by decree of the Congregation of Bishops of the papal curia, five parishes belonging to the Diocese of Campagna were transferred to the jurisdiction of the archdiocese of Potenza. In 1986, the diocese of Campagna was completely suppressed.
On 8 September 1976, the Congregations transferred territory from the Diocese of Acerenza, the Diocese of Rapolla, and from the Territorial Abbacy of Santissima Trinità di Cava de’ Tirreni It also lost two towns to the diocese of Anglona-Tursi.
Following the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...
, and in accordance with the norms laid out in the council's decree, ''Christus Dominus'' chapter 40, Pope Paul VI ordered a reorganization of the ecclesiastical provinces in southern Italy. The decree ''Eo quod spirituales'' of 12 September 1976 created a new episcopal conference in the region called "Basilicata", to which were assigned all of the dioceses that belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Potenza, including Materana and Mons Pelusii; they had formerly belonged to the episcopal conference of "Apulia".
Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...
ordered consultations among the members of the Congregation of Bishops in the Vatican Curia, the Italian Bishops Conference, and the various dioceses concerned. After twenty years, problems and objections were still apparent.
On 18 February 1984, the Vatican and the Italian State signed new and revised concordat Based on the revisions, a set of ''Normae'' was issued on 15 November 1984, which was accompanied in the next year, on 3 June 1985, by enabling legislation. According to the agreement, the practice of having one bishop govern two separate dioceses at the same time, ''aeque personaliter'', was abolished. The Vatican continued consultations which had begun under
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
for the merging of small dioceses, especially those with personnel and financial problems, into one combined diocese.
On 30 September 1986,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
ordered that the dioceses of Potenza, Marsico Nuovo, and Muro Lucano be merged into one diocese with one bishop, with the Latin title ''Archidioecesis Potentina-Murana-Marsicensis''. The seat of the diocese was to be in Potenza, and the cathedral of Potenza was to serve as the cathedral of the merged diocese. The cathedrals in Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano were to become co-cathedrals, and their cathedral Chapters were each to be a ''Capitulum Concathedralis''. There was to be only one diocesan Tribunal, in Potenza, and likewise one seminary, one College of Consultors, and one Priests' Council. The territory of the new diocese was to include the territory of the suppressed dioceses of Marsico Nuovo and Muro Lucano.
On 25 January 1998 the archdiocese of Potenza gained territory from the Archdiocese of Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi–Conza–Nusco–Bisaccia
The cathedral Chapter of Potenza is currently (2022) composed of thirteen persons: ten canons (including a president, a vice-president, an economus, and a penitentiary) and three honorary canons. The president also serves as the parish priest of the cathedral parish.
In 1990, the six bishops of the ecclesiastical province of Basilicata established a joint seminary for the training of priests, situated in Potenza. The seminary of Potenza was closed, and its building was repurposed as the ''Osthello della Gioventù''.
Bishops and Archbishops
Diocese of Potenza
''Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Acerenza e Matera''
to 1350
:...
*Herculentius (attested 494–498)
:?Amandus (c. 500-502)
:...
*Petrus (attested early 559)
:...
:?Bala(s) (826)
:...
* Bruno (1068)
:...
*Gerardus (attested 1099–1111)
*Manfredus (attested c. 1123/1124)
:...
*Joannes (attested 1177–1179)
:...
*Bartholomaeus (attested 1197–1200)
*Henricus (attested 1206)
:...
*Garsias (attested 1218–1221)
*Eleachinus (attested 1223)
*Thomasinus, O.Praem. (attested 1231)
:...
*Obertus (attested 1250–1256)
*Gualterius de Calabria, O.P. (attested 1267-1279)
*Bonifatius
*Franciscus (attested 1290)
*Guilelmus (d. 1343)
*Guilelmus de la Torre de Adria, O.Min. (1343–1351)
1350 to 1650
*Giovanni de Rupella, O.Carm. (1351–1364)
*Jacobus (1364–1374)
*Bartolomeo della Spina (1374– )
:...
*Marcus (attested 1386)
*Andreas (1389–1392) ''Roman Obedience''
*Niccolò de Vincioni (11 Nov 1392 – 21 May 1395)
:...
*Jacobus ''Roman Obedience''
*Benedictus de Arpino, O.Min. (1399–1402) ''Roman Obedience''
*Andreas Sinrao (1402–1404) ''Roman Obedience''
*Benedictus de Arpino, O.Min. (1404–1419)
*Angelo (11 Sep 1419 – 1429)
*Giacomo Squacquera (1429–1450)
*Antonio Angeli (1450–1462)
*Giovanni Paolo Vassalli (1463–1468)
*Luigi Caracciolo (1469–1482)
*Giovanni Filippo Castiglioni (1482–1490)
* Juan Ortega (1502–1503)
:
Jaime Serra i Cau
Jaume Serra i Cau (, ; died 1517) was a Spanish Valencian cardinal, from the city of Valencia. He was tutor to the young Giovanni Borgia, and a close associate of his father Pope Alexander VI.
He was archbishop of Oristano in 1492, and was cr ...
(29 Nov 1503 – 7 Aug 1506 Resigned) ''Administrator''
*
Giacomo Nini
Giacomo Nini was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Potenza (1506–1521).
Biography
On 7 Aug 1506, Giacomo Nini was appointed by Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) ...
(7 Aug 1506 – 1521 Resigned)
:
Pompeo Colonna
Pompeo Colonna (12 May 1479 – 28 June 1532) was an Italian noble, ''condottiero'', politician, and cardinal. At the culmination of his career he was Viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples (1530–1532) for the Emperor Charles V. Born in Rome, he was ...
(7 Jan 1521 – 21 Nov 1526 Deprived) ''Administrator''
*
Nino Nini
Nino Nini (died 21 January 1564) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Potenza (1526–1564).
Biography
On 28 Nov 1526, Nino Nini was appointed by Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medic ...
(28 Nov 1526 – 21 Jan 1564)
* Tiberio Carafa (15 May 1566 – 1579)
*
Sebastiano Barnaba Sebastiano is both a masculine Italian given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Sebastiano Antonio Tanara (1650–1724), Italian cardinal
* Sebastiano Baggio (1913–1993), Italian clergyman
* Sebastiano Bianchi (16th cent ...
Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
:''Sede Vacante'' (1623–1626)
* Diego Vargas (20 Jul 1626 – Oct 1633 Died)
* Girolamo Magnesi (20 Nov 1634 – 1644 Died)
* Miguel de Torres, O.P. (18 Apr 1644 – 1645 Died)
O.F.M. Conv.
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...
Archbishop of Trani
The Archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in Apulia. Formerly a metropolitan see, in 1980 it became a suffragan ...
)
* Agnello Rossi, O. Carm. (2 May 1695 – 30 Apr 1707 Died)
*Carlo Pignatelli, C.R. (23 Sep 1715 – 14 Jan 1722 Appointed,
Bishop of Gaeta
The Archdiocese of Gaeta () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in southern Italy, in the city of Gaeta, in the Lazio region. The archbishop's cathedra is located in the Cathedral of SS. Erasmus and Mar ...
)
*Biagio de Dura (2 Mar 1722 – Mar 1740 Died)
*José Alfonso Meléndez, O.F.M. Disc. (30 Jan 1741 – 1748)
*Tommaso Ignatius Antonio Sersale, C.R. (1 Apr 1748 – 18 Jul 1749)
*Bonaventura Fabozzi, O.F.M. (21 Jul 1749 – 4 Jan 1761)
*Carlo Parlati,
C.P.O.
The Congregation of Pious Workers Rural Catechists or Ardorini Missionaries (in Latin ''Congregatio Piorum Operariorum Catechistarum Ruralium'') are a Roman Catholic religious order. They use the post-nominal initials P.O.C.R.''Ann. Pont. 2010'', ...
(6 Apr 1761 – 1767)
*Domenico Russo (16 May 1768 – 1780)
*Giovanni Andrea Serrao (18 Jul 1783 – 24 Feb 1799 Died)
*Bartolomeo de Cesare (26 Jun 1805 – 30 Sep 1819 Died)
Diocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo
''United: 27 June 1818 with Diocese of Marsico Nuovo''
''Latin Name: Potentinus et Marsicensis''
''Metropolitan: Archdiocese of Acerenza''
*Giuseppe Maria Botticelli, O.F.M. (21 Feb 1820 – 1822)
*Pietro Ignazio Marolda, C.SS.R. (19 Apr 1822 – 1837)
*Michelangelo Pieramico (12 Feb 1838 – Sep 1862 Died)
:''Sede vacante'' (1862–1867)
*Antonio Maria Fanìa, O.F.M. (27 Mar 1867 – 23 Jan 1880 Died)
*Luigi Carvelli (23 Jan 1880 – 3 Jul 1882 Appointed,
Bishop of Mileto
The Diocese of Mileto-Nicotera-Tropea () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria, southern Italy, created in 1986. In that year the historical Diocese of Mileto was united with the Diocese of Nicotera-Tropea. The diocese is a suffra ...
)
*Tiberio Durante (25 Sep 1882 – 31 Oct 1899 Died)
*Ignacio Monterisi (19 Apr 1900 – 17 Feb 1913 Died)
*Roberto Achille Razzòli, O.F.M. (27 Aug 1913 – 27 Apr 1925 Died)
*Augusto Bertazzoni (30 Jun 1930 – 30 Nov 1966 Retired)
*Aureliano Sorrentino (30 Nov 1966 – 4 Jun 1977 Appointed,
Archbishop of Reggio Calabria
The Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Calabria, southern Italy. It received its current title in 1986, when the independent Diocese of Bova was suppressed,
)
Archdiocese of Potenza e Marsico Nuovo
''Elevated: 1973 Feb 11''
''Latin Name: Potentinus et Marsicensis''
*Giuseppe Vairo (3 Dec 1977 – 19 Jan 1993 Retired)
Archdiocese of Potenza–Muro Lucano–Marsico Nuovo
''United: 30 September 1986 with the Diocese of Muro Lucano''
''Latin Name: Archidioecesis Potentinus-Muranus-Marsicensis''
*Ennio Appignanesi (19 Jan 1993 – 9 Jan 2001 Retired)
*Agostino Superbo (9 Jan 2001 – 5 Oct 2015 Retired)
*Salvatore Ligorio (5 Oct 2015 – )Ligorio was appointed by Pope Francis on Monday, October 5, 2015; formerly, Archbishop of the nearby non-metropolitan Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Matera-Irsina, based in
Matera, Italy
Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th millennium BC), it is renowned for its ...
and Irsina, Italy, and a suffragan see of this Archdiocese